The overhaul of the technology ecosystem driving a variety of digital radio stations turned out to be a massive and intricate project. It encompassed three major initiatives: a comprehensive redesign of all websites, migration to a unified multi-site Adobe Experience Manager CMS, and integration with the new audio platform.

Efficient Content Management

The use of the outdated Polopoly CMS for hosting websites became unsustainable as it was no longer supported by the vendor. Consequently, the media company had to implement a new solution across all its digital radio web properties.

The decision was made to migrate the websites to a single multi-site Adobe Experience Manager CMS. Proficient AEM developers from Axamit were enlisted to assist in creating an efficient architecture and executing the project.

Old Content Migration

About 150,000 pieces of content and related media assets spanning several years have been successfully migrated from Polopoly CMS to the multi-site AEM platform.

Single Control Panel

The AEM CMS equipped the team with a new robust interface for authoring and publishing content, enabling them to benefit from efficient and standardized workflows.

Unified Site Structure

The development team created an efficient architecture that included all the necessary shared AEM components to be reused across websites to build consistent experiences.

Unique Content Creation

The new CMS allowed for the creation of unique website page components tailored to individual stations while ensuring there were no conflicts with shared AEM components.

The shift to a single multi-site CMS has made the work easier for 110 employees engaged in content management across all digital radio websites. Editors can now efficiently manage both unique content for individual websites and shared content across them.

Simple Content Distribution

The new AEM CMS has resolved the problem of duplicate effort in content distribution that stems from each website operating on a separate CMS. Previously, content managers had to create the same content multiple times, but now they can make it once and publish it on a group of selected websites instantly.

Local Cultural Events

When promoting events, content managers can target local audiences in specific cities across all radio stations operating there. They can select individual stations in the target city to publish the promotion on their websites, regardless of whether they belong to the same network or different networks.

Global Music News

When sharing all-Canadian music news, content managers post the news article on the national website. They then distribute teasers across selected radio networks and stand-alone stations. Clicking on these teasers on any radio station’s website redirects visitors to the full article on the national site.

The implementation of new publishing workflows has made content distribution seamless, significantly reducing manual work and the risk of errors.

Web and Mobile Audio Platform

Adopting the advanced audio platform aimed to address several challenges simultaneously. Customers could enjoy their favourite radio stations through cutting-edge and convenient web and mobile apps. The company could incorporate account registration features, gather statistics on user engagement, and accurately measure their North Star metric: Total Listening Hours (TLH).

Integrated Audio Platform

After migrating broadcasting to the new audio platform, a system of redirects was set to ensure a seamless transition from informational websites to the web or mobile audio platform.

Web Live Player

The old audio player, used by website visitors to listen live while browsing, was replaced with the new player streaming audio directly from the integrated platform.

Customer Accounts

To encourage unregistered listeners to create accounts on the new audio platform, developers implemented a seamless redirect from mobile browsers to the mobile app download page.

North Star Metric

The new audio platform equipped the media company with advanced analytics tools to accurately measure TLH and provide insights into audience reach and engagement.

Once users create an account and install the mobile application, transitioning from browsing websites to enjoying music or podcasts on a mobile device is seamless. Registered listeners also enjoy personalized music recommendations, the ability to curate their playlists, offline listening, and other features.

Efficient UX/UI Management

The AEM Forms platform leverages a comprehensive set of configurable rules for forms, for example, a palette of predefined components, conditions, validations, wizards, etc. This allows designers to create dynamic and user-friendly forms.

CONSISTENT UX/UI

A uniform design has been implemented to ensure a cohesive and intuitive experience for the users of the citizen portal.

SECURE AUTHENTICATION

The use of SSO ensured that users who passed the authentication on the citizen portal didn’t have to log in to submit forms.

STYLING AND CLIENTLIBS

The styling resources and client libraries were centralized to ensure an on-brand design and consistent behavior for every element.

FORM CUSTOMIZATION

Special features were added for Designers to customize the look and behavior of particular form elements in any specific form.

Smooth Data Management

The AEM-based form management system ensures seamless and compliant workflows for data collection, validation, transfer, and processing.

DATA STANDARDIZATION

A unified data format has been established to improve the consistency of data submitted via online forms, simplify data transmission, and ensure efficient data processing.

XML TRANSFORMATION

Developers have introduced custom transformations to meet specific business requirements for efficient use of XML data in eGovernment workflows and applications.

DATA VALIDATION

Specific validation rules have been implemented to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the submitted forms.

ERROR HANDLING

Thorough validation at the data entry stage helped minimize errors and inconsistencies improving data quality and reliability.

Reliable Document Creation

Proper PDF/A-3 document generation workflows ensure compliance with archival standards while preserving the integrity and accessibility of embedded information. Advanced rendering technologies help generate files with accurate layouts and colors in high resolution, resulting in visually consistent and professional-looking PDF/A documents.

PDF/A EMBEDDED DATA

Based on the information collected through the forms, this service creates PDF/A-3 documents and embeds accurate and structured data in the files.

PDF/A META-DATA

The system embeds metadata in the PDF/A-3 documents ensuring they meet regulatory requirements for compliance and record-keeping.

PDF TO PDF/A CONVERSION

The system converts the existing PDF documents into PDF/A, the format specifically designed for long-term archiving and preservation.

PDF/A GENERATION

The service generates high-fidelity pixel-perfect PDF/A files, reproducing the original layout, formatting, and graphical elements of source documents.

UNLOCK HEADLESS SERVICES

Upgrading to Sitecore version 10 allowed the team to harness the efficiency of the new JavaScript SDK (JSS), facilitating the use of headless services with the Next.js web app.

HORIZON EDITOR FOR AUTHORING

The CMS update empowered the team to make full use of the new Horizon editor, streamlining content authoring and supporting multilingual content management.

Next.js Dynamic Website

The frontend developers have created an engaging website with a polished interface, promising smooth user experiences. The implementation of Next.js significantly accelerated the development process, simplifying setup and eliminating unnecessary code.

ENTERPRISE-READY JS FRAMEWORK

The new website was built based on the Next.js framework that provides flexible content delivery models including static site generation, server-side rendering, and a hybrid approach.

JAMSTACK ARCHITECTURE

The new web solution met the requirements of content managers without imposing any technical constraints on Sitecore’s authoring interface and CMS capabilities.

Performance Optimization

Modern web development patterns and SEO best practices were implemented to ensure a clean and easy-to-maintain codebase and optimize the website performance.

PAGE SPEED OPTIMIZATION

Site performance optimization techniques significantly improve page loading speed and ensure visitors can swiftly access the content they are looking for, leading to increased engagement and higher satisfaction levels.

SEO BEST PRACTICES

Technical SEO enhancements for Next.js apps included optimizing meta tags, schema markup, sitemaps, URL structures, and performance for improved search engine visibility and ranking.

UNLOCK HEADLESS CONTENT DELIVERY

Upgrading to Sitecore version 10 allowed the team to implement Sitecore JavaScript Rendering SDKs (JSS), to unlock the headless capabilities of the CMS.

BUILD A DYNAMIC REACT WEBSITE

The new website was built using the React library that provides flexible content delivery models including static site generation, server-side rendering, and a hybrid approach.

New Features Implementation

Developers from Axamit implemented a range of new features that helped showcase the properties owned by the company and assisted site visitors in navigating financial information and investor materials.

INTERACTIVE PROPERTY MAP

A new interactive map shows the location of properties from to the company portfolio. This map synchronizes with the hotel list filters, which helps investors navigate to hotels they are interested in, streamlining the selection process.

FEATURED PROPERTY PAGES

The featured properties component draws investors attention to the renovation efforts and emphasizes the results of reinvestment. It adds visibility into the trust’s property management, instilling greater confidence among investors.

FINANCIAL REPORTS AND METRICS

The website presents financial data, including quarterly results, SEC filings, annual reports, stock information, and more. This approach not only upholds the design’s aesthetics but also provides a centralized and convenient platform for thorough financial analysis, facilitating access to data.

KEY INVESTOR MATERIALS

The web solution provides access to downloadable quarterly and annual results and corporate responsibility disclosure documents from any hotel description page, ensuring a smooth transition from property exploration to the analysis of financial data, and simplifying decision-making for investors.

Furthermore, web developers have incorporated popular site elements such as carousels, embedded videos, sliders, cards, navigation bars, off-canvas menus, site search, and an array of other features that enhance the new site’s visual appeal and functionality.

Online B2B Dealer Portal

Adobe Commerce Сontrol Panel

The new Adobe Commerce control panel has transformed the way Business Administrators and Sales Representatives operate. We’ve developed a tool that simplifies the management of catalogs, content, discounts, and orders. Additionally, it provides statistics for sales insights.

React-Based Dynamic Website

The new dynamic website has made a vast catalog of car parts easily accessible for Counter Reps and Parts Managers within the dealership network. It allows dealers to choose from in-stock items or opt for drop shipping from 13 other suppliers, facilitating quick orders for hundreds of products through a simple CSV file upload.

Adobe Commerce & ERP Integration

The implementation of Adobe Commerce marked the first phase in the company’s digital transformation journey. Other systems were pending upgrades, posing additional challenges for us to address.

Data Preprocessing Microservices

As a stopgap measure, we had to integrate the new dealer portal with the existing ERP system. Given the severe limitations in data export capabilities of the HTI ERP, our strategy involved creating custom software to process ERP data before seamlessly importing it into Adobe Commerce. Additionally, we had to come up with a solution to prevent the automatic backflow of data until the ERP was upgraded.

CUSTOM DATA PROCESSING MIDDLEWARE

The microservice checks the data in the most recent files from the ERP system with the existing information in Adobe Commerce. It identifies any new or changed data, arranges it neatly, and divides it into chunks, each containing about 10,000 records.

ASYNC IMPORT TO ADOBE COMMERCE

The processed data is transferred into Adobe Commerce in segments through its API. The data import queue is managed by RabbitMQ, a message broker that ensures a stable flow of information from the processing middleware to the dealer portal.

USING CDN FOR PRODUCT IMAGES

To ensure quick page loading, CDN efficiently manages product images. This helps optimal utilization of network resources, leading to faster media content delivery, reducing wait times, improving reliability, and providing a seamless customer experience.

BYPASSING BUILT-IN ORDER MANAGEMENT

Until the ERP upgrade the data from the dealer portal doesn’t flow back to internal systems. Instead, details about new orders on the platform are sent via automatic order confirmation emails to our Client’s Customer Service Reps, who then enter these orders into the ERP manually.

Data Flow Between HTI ERP & Adobe Commerce

Upcoming Stages of Transformation

As the digital transformation journey unfolds, there’s more to come. Our team is improving the solution, incorporating additional features and new integrations. Currently, we are in the final stages of integrating Power BI, a move that will empower our Client to analyze the performance of the new portal. Looking ahead, the next significant milestone will be transitioning to a new ERP solution.